Secret’s out: Scottsville man won reality show’s R1 mln

LOCAL music producer and composer Nolan Jonathan is elated to have won R1 million on etv’s reality show Tropika Island of Treasure 4, which took place in Cancun, Mexico. Seven celebrities, including DJ Zinhle and model Joelle Kayembe, competed against seven ordinary people for a grand prize of R1 million.

Jonathan, who lives in Scottsville Pietermaritzburg, couldn’t contain his excitement. “I am over the moon about winning and very grateful for the experience,” he said.

He told The Witness he had no preconceived ideas before entering and didn’t expect to win.

“Entering was just a random decision, I was just taking a chance,” he said.

The competition was shot in October last year and the winner was only announced at the beginning of April — after Jonathan had had to keep his big win secret for about six months.

“Keeping such a secret was the hardest thing to do. I only told my wife. As much as I wanted to celebrate and tell everyone about my good news, I couldn’t,” he said.

His family found out with the rest of the country and celebrated his achievement with him. About 30 family members gathered at a coffee shop in Johannesburg to watch the reality show’s finale.

“There were screams, shouts and tears after I was announced as the winner. Everyone was very happy and proud of me and my phone also didn’t stop ringing that day.” he said.

The money will come in very handy as Jonathan plans to give his wife a proper wedding. “We have been married for a couple of years, but never really had a wedding. I also want to go on a nice holiday,” Jonathan said. Some of the money will be used to buy music equipment and the rest will be invested. He spent about two weeks in Mexico and said he really enjoyed the experience and learned a lot. He got to make new friends and memories that he will always cherish.

“I formed great relationships with the other contestants. We had a lot of fun and they were a great bunch. We all deserved to be there,” he said.

The biggest lesson he learned is that it is okay to be good. “Somewhere someone will recognise you, so go on and be good. Get up and follow your dreams because you never know when your big break might come,” he added.

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